Misidentification of newborn infants, whether intentional or inadvertent, is a source of great concern, both for medical care providers as well as the effected families. As a result, several methods of infant identification have been developed. For instance, the use of identification bracelets, generally applied to the arm or leg of an infant, is well known. These bracelets carry a paper or plastic label upon which identifying information may be written. Once placed around the ankle or wrist, the written label becomes a means whereby hospital staff or other attendants may correctly identify each infant. In practice, however, these bracelets must be loosely applied to avoid possible damage to the infant's circulation or skin. As a result, it is always possible that a particular bracelet will become dislodged or lost thereby increasing the chance for misidentification.
Another problem associated with traditional infant identification bracelets is the possibility of disease transmission. More specifically, the application of written or printed information to traditional infant identification bracelets has generally involved some degree of manual manipulation of the bracelet. Maintenance of the sterility of the bracelet, therefore, has been dependent on the use of rubber gloves or other anti-microbial measures. In cases where these measures have been overlooked or purposely avoided, the sterility of the bracelet may have been compromised. The possibility of bracelet borne infection is especially serious in cases where infants are born prematurely with potentially weakened immunological systems.
In light of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide an infant identification device that allows infants to be quickly and positively identified. It is another object of the present invention to provide an infant identification device which will remain attached to the infant during normal use. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an infant identification device that protects the sterility of the device as the device is inscribed with identifying information. Still another object of the present invention is to provide an infant identification device which is removable with minimal risk to the infant. Still another object of the present invention is to provide an infant identification device which is relatively simple to use, is relatively easy to implement and is comparatively cost effective.